[Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini, Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, A] n.droid:
So, after my Sony Ericsson MH410c headset went broke (I had the headphones changed with some decent in ears to be able to use the remote and enjoy some decent sound quality) I was striving to find a decent and not overly expensive headset for my [our] Xperia Ray. As some of you might know, the configuration of the 2011 Xperias differs slightly from usual headset configurations, rendering most of them basically useless.

I tried Sony Ericsson's LiveSound, expecting something extraordinary good, yet found them actually to suck big time. The sound quality was good (don't expect a whole new audio universe, but any audiophile wouldn't when it comes to a simple "on-the-go-headset"...), however the LiveKey feature didn't work with any of the provided software apps from Sony, generally the haptic and surface feel was not as good as the plain and simple headset you get when buying a new Ray.

The major drawback however were the "tangle free" cables. They reminded me of Italian Fettucine/ Tagliatelle noodles, yet despite my devotion for pasta, these fell off way (and I mean waaaaay!) too easy out of my ears, even when only walking normally. (Not to mention taking them for a run...) Blame the heavyness, shape and sturdyness of the cables.

Now, there is an actually decent sounding, comparably cheap and good looking headset from Sony named MH750[/B] I turned my eyes to, the problem however was the phone connector configuration. Was. Until some weeks ago when I stumbled upon this. My russian skills usually start and end with a rather famous limpid liquid most russians enjoy without degrading it to a cocktail ingredient, but this article got my attention, especially seeing this 2012 device connected to an Xperia Ray with purpose. You might ask a russian speaking friend for help, consider a dictionary word-by-word or let google do the work.

OK, I'll cut the stalling; this is how you do it:

Essentially you need a Sony MH750 headset, a soldering iron with an accurate soldering tip and some fiddling tools to open the plastic casing with the small curcuit board in it. (a small screwdriver for example will do) Without much pressure, insert it through the small gap where the two headphones cables come out and slowly and gently pull the casing apart. Mind that you have to be careful like a neurosurgeon to be able to reassemble it again later. Another major cooking ingredient is anything suitable as a jumper bridge. (like a tiny cable, etc.)

Not mentioned in the russian tutorial is that there are two layout versions of the headset. There is one like in the tutorial and an alternative one. I did the operation on both of them and both patients are well alive.

As described, after having opened the casing, your task is to change the following configuration from

- white cable on M+

- black cable on M-

- third cable on G

to

- white cable on M-

- black cable on M+

- M- connected to G (with the jumper bridge mentioned above)

- It's up to you what to do with the third cable that was on G and has become obsolete. I decided to curcumcise it for obvious aerodynamic reasons.

Have fun MacGyvering your headset and enjoy some running sessions with it!